We will all know at least a dozen footballers’ names from the past and present. We will be at least vaguely aware of the rivalry between some clubs like Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspurs.
But what do we know about the actual football?
A game would not be nearly as fun to play or watch with a deflating ball midway through. FIFA – the international governing body of association football – set up a quality check programme to improve and control the performance of footballs. Introduced in 1996, The FIFA Quality Programme for Footballs ensures high-quality products for the end-user, much like Quality 4 Health + Wellbeing and its accreditation framework.
FIFA state that ‘a football should respond in the very same way every time it is struck, whether it is in the 90th minute of a match or the very first touch. Otherwise, it would be unfair on the players and frustrating for the fans.’
This could very easily be an analogy of a quality assured Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise organisation; your service delivery should always be of the highest quality whether it’s from the first day of achieving Quality 4 Health + Wellbeing to 9 months down the line and beyond.
To achieve the FIFA quality mark, football manufacturers must agree to and pass a rigorous testing process across 7 areas including Bounce, Roundness and Water Retention. Similar to our Quality 4 Health + Wellbeing organisations evidencing how they hit the 9 quality areas, once passed, the manufacturer can proudly display the FIFA Quality mark on their product. Quality 4 Health + Wellbeing accredited organisations receive a logo pack to do the same; proudly show their hard work and high-quality service delivery has been recognised.
Achieving any quality assurance standard is a commitment to high-quality service delivery. It is about demonstrating that your work is exemplary whether it’s for helping score the winning goal or helping your local community thrive!
Excerpts from the FIFA Website https://www.fifa.com/
